Hundreds of British paratroopers were banned from joining a NATO deployment after videos surfaced of a group of soldiers having an orgy with a civilian woman inside the barracks, according to reports. The eight-troop group was caught on camera with a civilian woman inside the Merville barracks in Colchester, England, after allegedly slipping her onto the camp more than 30 times.
The said paratroops were scheduled for a mission in the Balkans but that didn't happen. The army's commander, General Sir Patrick Sanders, reportedly wrote to military leaders, claiming that sending the soldiers overseas would "endanger the mission or the British army's reputation."
Sex in the Barracks
According to reports, it was disclosed earlier this month that eight paratroopers serving in the UK's 16 Air Assault Brigade were being investigated by authorities over a video showing them having sex with a civilian woman who had been sneaked into the Merville barracks near Colchester.
According to The Times of London, the woman was snuck into the barracks 31 times over the past five months.
According to the New York Times, which got a copy of the letter, Sanders claimed the action could have been perceived as "demeaning women" and that it violated army ideals and standards, despite the fact that military investigators decided no crime had been committed.
"My message to the army is clear – our license to operate is founded on trust and confidence and we must hold ourselves to the highest standards," Sanders wrote. He added that "such behavior is unacceptable, corrosive and detrimental to the army's reputation," according to The Times.
"I am not prepared to risk the Nato mission or the reputation of the British army by deploying 3 Para at this time."
Tarnishing Country's Image
The incident came after a series of similar incidences of inappropriate behavior during a drill in North Macedonia in May, during which members of 3 Para, as well as soldiers from other battalions, were accused of "unprofessional behavior."
"Recent events indicated that 3 Para is not demonstrating the levels of discipline and respect for others expected of one of our battalions," Sanders said.
"I am not prepared to risk the Nato mission or the reputation of the British army by deploying 3 Para at this time."
The annual deployment to the Balkans is intended to be a 10-day exercise with NATO partners, but troops routinely stay for much longer. More than 400 paratroopers will be deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, but they will not receive the medals or additional pay that they are accustomed to receiving for overseas service.
The possibility of replacing the battalion with another trained and ready unit is being discussed.
The soldiers who were directly involved in the sex films will also be removed from the battalion's next rotation as the Air Manoeurve Battle Group, which is kept at a high level of preparedness to deploy in the event of a worldwide crisis.
